Arrow: "This Is Your Sword"Review

It would be nice if Arrow didn’t feel so at odds with itself as it reaches the end of Season 3. Last week’s episode, “Al Sah-Him,” really played up the “Is Ollie evil or isn’t he?” angle. And no sooner did that episode finally make a convincing argument that Ollie has fallen to the dark side than “This Is Your Sword” swooped in to say, “Haha! Just kidding!” This was still a decent episode overall, but at this point the sense of drama surrounding Ra’s al Ghul’s master plan is deflated.

The early scenes set this episode down the wrong path, as we quickly learned that A) Ollie’s devotion to the League is all an act, and B) the only other person privy to this information is Malcolm Merlyn. I can buy that Ollie would shut his friends out of his plan in favor of a man with intimate knowledge of the League’s inner workings. It’s just disappointing to see all of last week’s hard work swept away. This episode really needed a continued sense of uncertainty regarding Ollie’s motivations and loyalties. We the viewers needed to question his actions alongside Diggle, Felicity and the rest.

Nowhere was that fact more evident than the climax, as Ollie and Nyssa went forward with their marriage ceremony even as the rest of Team Arrow apparently succumbed to the Alpha & Omega virus in their cell. That could have been a dramatic cliffhanger to end on, but given all that we know about Ollie’s actions now, there’s no point in even entertaining the notion that he murdered his friends. Again, the drama just wasn’t there.

Not there there wasn’t some good material to come out of the rift between Ollie and team Arrow. Diggle had several great scenes as we saw him wrestle with his rage and sense of betrayal. Diggle served as a stark reminder that, even though Ollie may not have fallen under Ra’s sway, there’s certainly going to be a cost for his actions. How can the Ollie/Diggle friendship endure after Ollie willingly put Lyla and Sara in harm’s way? I only wish the brief reunion between these two shortly before the “execution” had lasted a bit longer.

I’m gathering that a lot of viewers were unhappy with how Felicity was portrayed this week. Felicity seems to be a fairly polarizing character in general, but she definitely veered a little too deep into annoying territory this week. I suppose after everything she and Oliver have been through that Felicity, not Laurel, should be the voice of reason and the one to urge faith in their friend. And really, Ray is just going to sign over a multi-billion dollar corporation to her even after she dumped him for the guy that originally ran the place into the ground? But, if nothing else, Felicity had a really great moment during the big battle scene when she thought she managed to take out a ninja with her broken tablet.

They don't look very happy about this turn of events.

That battle sequence was a highlight in general. It didn’t paint the League in a very competent light (seriously, not one ninja thought to use ranged weapons instead of blindly charging into the fray?), but it allowed all of our heroes to get in some solid ass-kicking. Merlyn reminded us he’s still a force to be reckoned with, while Laurel showcased her slowly improving skills. Throwing the Atom into the mix was a welcome touch, as his aerial dogfight offset all the vigilante-on-ninja action nicely.

The centerpiece of this fight, however, was the duel between Maseo and Tatsu. It was great to see Tatsu decked out in full Katana gear for the first time. Their slick swordplay was easily the most dynamic moment of the week. But on a deeper level, this fight spoke to the tragic decline of their once close-knit family unit and the love that still endured between them. At long last, we finally understand what drove Maseo away and why he could never allow himself to return. This fight concluded the only way it could, with Tatsu freeing her husband and leaving herself utterly alone in the world. Rila Fukushima’s heavy accent was a hindrance in some of her scenes this week, but at least she delivered where it counted most as she cradled Maseo, sang to him and eventually broke down sobbing. That scene delivered the drama the rest of the episode sometimes lacked.

This episode also delivered a hefty subplot as Thea tracked down Roy in his new life as Jason the humble auto mechanic. I’m glad the writers found time for this interlude. Roy deserved a lengthier goodbye than he was given a few weeks back, and he certainly deserved one last reunion with Thea. This reunion had a nicely tragic, doomed quality to it, as it was obvious the two were never going to get their chance to run away together. By the end, Roy got the send-off he needed, and the Red Arrow torch was passed to Thea. No doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of her as Speedy next season.

The flashbacks picked up a bit of steam this week as General Shrieve entered the picture again. These scenes were quite as brief and distracting as they were in “Al Sah-Him.” That said, having Maseo refer to Akio’s death in the present kind of took the wind out of the sails in the past. There’s not enough impetus to the flashbacks now. We already know our heroes failed and that they’ll be torn apart. At this point the only purpose these scenes serve is in establishing how/why Ollie winds up on the island again. Assuming he’s even going back in Season 4.

The Verdict

Arrow robbed itself of some of its own drama this week by immediately shedding light on Ollie's state of mind and loyalties. Because of that, his allies never felt like they were in real danger. There was still drama in other forms, including Diggle's rage at his former friend and the heartfelt, tragic reunion between Maseo and Tatsu. But the show lost some momentum this week, and that's never a good sign leading into a finale episode.